Mas from Latina

Search form

8 Reasons Selena is the Ultimate Icon!

Happy birthday to the amazing and beautiful, Selena Quintanilla-Perez! The late Tejano music Queen would have turned 43 today. We're honoring Selena by counting down the reasons she is the ultimate icon! Take a look:

1.
Bicultural Latinas

Bicultural Latinas Can Relate to Selena

Like many Latinos in the U.S., the late Mexican-American Tejano singer had to navigate her way through two cultures – something she managed to do successfully. Having been able to feel comfortable within both worlds made fellow bicultural Latinas feel even more connected to Selena and it reamins one of the top reasons she continues to be missed.

2.
Fashion

Inspirational Fashion Sense

Before and after her death, Selena's sense of style and fashion inspired some of today's biggest stars, including Becky G, whom recently posted this image via Instagram. "Selena, thank you for inspiring me throughout my life and career," Becky G captioned the pic. "If you have a dream, don’t let anybody take it away and always believe that the impossible is possible."

3.
Music

4.
Husband

To Selena From Chris

Nearly two decades after her death, Selena's widower Chris Perez wrote To Selena, With Love. The book revealed intimate details about the young singer's life and showed evidence of Chris' undying and unconditional love for Selena. Chris' decision to publish a book about his late wife is further proof of what an amazing human being she was and how she can never be forgotten. "She was definitely one of a kind," Chris said during an interview.

5.
Fans

Her Fans

Nearly 20 years after her tragic death, Selena continues to impact the lives of her fans. A man named Roger Gomez even launched a website dedicated to the fallen star -- a fan site he continues to keep up until this day. "I became a fan the day she died after watching all the news coverage on Friday, March 31, 1995," he told VOXXI, "The type of person she was and what she stood for instantly caught my attention."

6.
Broke Barriers

Selena Broke Barriers

Selena may have been only 23 at the time of her death, but while she was alive she broke several barriers. She was the first woman to achieve mainstream success in the world of Tejano music. Selena was also the first Tejano artist to achieve a Gold Record and the first to win a Grammy Award.

7.
Latino Community

Impacting the Latino Community

The Latino Community hasn't had many artists like Selena. Gone way too soon, the late Tejano Queen continues to be a source of awe and fascination for even the younger generation of Latinos. "There haven't been enough people like her in the Latino community," said Deborah Paredez, author of Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory, "so people continue to turn to her and commemorate her."